The match came less than 72 hours after facing Leeds United in a pulsating draw on Wednesday night, so it's no surprise that Cotterill was thrilled with his side's efforts on Teesside.

“This was always going to be a really difficult game for us – particularly in a week where we’ve played on Wednesday and they’ve played on Tuesday," the manager told the club's official website.

“They had an extra 24 hours [preparation time] and not had the journey as well, so we’re delighted with our courage/

“Coming up here on the bus on Thursday, everyone was hanging. Everyone wanted to fall asleep on the bus and then it was important to get a good night’s sleep.

“Then it was important to be as organised as we could be in training without taking too much out of their legs yesterday, but it’s worked out well for us."

Bryan's fine curling effort put the Robins on their way, but they had their chances to add to the scoreline, which will no doubt give Cotterill and his men the belief that they can compete with the top sides in the Championship.

“We’re in with the big boys now and they [Middlesbrough] are a really good team. We’ve had to work our socks off there.”